


World Cup Surprise

by HedaLok



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/F, FIFA Womens World Cup 2023, Football | Soccer Player Lexa (The 100), I got bored and my friend decided this was a good idea, I love Clexa too much to kill anyone we love, Injury to characters, Secret Marriage, Secret Relationship, Soccer player Octavia, Soccer player anya, Thanks TimeToLive1, US Women's Soccer National Team, USWNT, more characters to be added with later chapters, no one dies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:07:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25614820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HedaLok/pseuds/HedaLok
Summary: Series of oneshots in the same universe, all following the same timeline.Chapt 1:Takes place during the Finals of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup match in Austrialia.Lexa is a forward for the USWNT, with Octavia as a midfielder and Anya as a defender. It's the final minutes of the final with the score tied. A few of our favorite current USWNT players play alongside them. With Lincoln - Octavia's boyfriend and Lexa and Anya's brother, Clarke and Raven in the stands watching,Will our heroes win? What's the surprise? How will the media respond?
Relationships: Anya/Raven Reyes, Clarke Griffin & Lexa, Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Octavia Blake/Lincoln
Comments: 41
Kudos: 160





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TIMETOLIVE](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TIMETOLIVE/gifts).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place during the Finals of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup match in Austrialia. 
> 
> Lexa is a forward for the USWNT, with Octavia as a midfielder and Anya as a defender. It's the final minutes of the final with the score tied. A few of our favorite current USWNT players play alongside them. With Lincoln - Octavia's boyfriend and Lexa and Anya's brother, Clarke and Raven in the stands watching, 
> 
> Will our heroes win? What's the surprise? How will the media respond?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So once again TimeToLive has decided to grace my brain with a brilliant idea. I swear they do this just cause they love what my mind can come up with. Took me only a couple hours to write and a day to edit. Hope you like it. and yes. it's a one shot. unless i can come up with something to follow it with. 
> 
> brief reminder for those of us in the US - July in Australia is equal to December for us here in the states. (AKA its winter, to our summer)

**Lexa:**

The cool Australian air hung around me as I raced up the field, calling out to Octavia, a rookie, and my possible future sister-in-law. She kicked it between a pair of defenders directly to me. The game had been a rough one, a single goal for each team. The entire tournament was going to be determined by these next few minutes. I knew we had maybe a minute left in the second half of overtime. I needed to put the ball in the goal. With one final kick, I sent the ball towards the goal, only for the goalie to snatch it out of the air. I huffed in annoyance, backpedaling quickly to see where the goalie would throw the ball. 

The ref put up the whistle, ending the double overtime, before the goalie had the chance to throw it back into play. With the World Cup on the line, we would go to a shootout. Five players from each team would go one on one with the goalie. Whoever made the most goals would win, breaking the tie. This had happened before for the U.S. national team, back when I was 2 years old. The 1999 Cup was determined by a final kick in the shootout, Brandi Chastain hit the net and in that, the US team won its second cup. This would be our third time going against Japan during the penalty shoot out. Japan won in 2011, we stole the championship the following year in 2015. Now here we are again, two tournaments later, playing the same team. This would be the tiebreaker in more ways than one. We lost the coin toss of who would kick first. Japan would have first shot. 

Coach Indra Forrest gathered the entire fielded team on our side of midfield to decide who would be doing the shoot out. 

“Anya, you first. Then Morgan, Lavelle third. Blake, you are fourth. That leaves Lexa as the final spot. Agreed?” Indra looked to the five of us; we all nodded. I could see a few of the other players look to us in amazement. 

“Let’s get this done.” I spoke up, putting my hand in the center, the others joining. “USA on three.” I counted down and the team echoed USA loudly. Pulling Anya aside, I patted her shoulder. “Let’s make history and get that fifth star, eh?” 

“Five Stars.” She agreed, hunger clear in her eyes. 

Japan’s first player, Yui, the midfielder stepped up against our goalie Alyssa Naeher. She faked left, sending Naeher lunging in the wrong direction. The goal was clean. A cheer rang out through half the stadium. 

The score was 1-2 in Japan’s favor. 

Anya stepped up to the ref, prepping to take our first shot. I watched as she took the position, staring down the Japanese goalie, Ayaka, with her standard resting bitch face look. The whistle blew and Anya took a breath. She ran at the ball and sent it flying over the goalie’s right shoulder, hitting nothing but net. 

The score was 2-2.

Jun, one of the younger Japanese players, scored; the ball just barely tipping off the edge of Naeher’s gloves. Naeher took it hard, taking a moment to gather herself, before calming once more. 

The score jumped up to 2-3, putting Japan in the lead once more. 

Alex Morgan stepped up next. This would be her final world cup, capping off a twelve year career with the National Team. She had already announced her retirement, wanting to spend time with her kids and soccer star husband. A roar of a cheer rang through the stadium. The US fans were excited to see Morgan help win another cup. Morgan easily put the goal away, giving us an edge once more. 

The score was now 3-3.

Once more Japan was up, Riza raking her fingers through her short hair. She took a moment to look at the ball, as if ordering it what to do. A whistle sounded from the ref, and Riza took the shot, finding another goal for Japan. 

3-4, favoring Japan. 

Rose Lavelle, a fellow 19-er was up next, taking a deep breath, looking at a specific spot in the crowd. Whatever she spotted seemed to calm her. She took her shot and found the back of the net quickly. 

The score became tied once more; 4-4.

Looking at the next Japanese player up. Asato, a hardliner defensemen, absolutely amazing one on one. She sunk the ball for a goal, running back to her team, arms in the air. Her hair was wild as she slammed into a few of her teammates. 

4-5, once again Japan ahead. 

Octavia was standing next to me, near vibrating. She sighed softly as if she was unable to stand still. I could tell she was nervous. This was her first international tournament, which was always terrifying. 

“O, you can do this. We trained so hard for this, it’s just like training. I swear it.” I promised, wrapping her into a brief hug. “We are back at the complex, you are shooting against Alyssa, you can do this.” 

She calmed at my words, smiling. “I got it past her a few times in training.” 

The ref motioned the next shooter forward. Octavia looked at me one last time before stepping forward. I could see her mask fall into place as she calmed further. With the whistle, Octavia charged forward, sending the ball flying into the upper left corner of the net. She turned to the stands, spotting her boyfriend - my brother - Lincoln. Sending a kiss to him, she returned to my side. 

“Lexa, I did it!” 

I patted her back, a bright smile on my face. “You did. Are you ready to hold the trophy up?” 

“Hell yeah. I’m gonna hold it the whole plane ride home.” 

I laughed softly, Octavia had tied us up once more. 5-5.

Japan’s last shooter, Kumi, one of the forwards that Anya had been dealing with all game, came next. Her shot was good, but Naeher was better, batting the ball away simply. A roar of upset ran through the Stadium. We were tied still, and I was next. I was beginning to sweat; excitement running through my body like lightning. 

Anya and Octavia both patted my shoulder, as I let my Commander facade slide into place. I faced Ayaka, who had denied a few of my shots this game. I took a deep breath, signaled that I was ready and waited for the whistle. Once I heard that, I centered myself, letting the sounds fall silent around me. I ran forward, taking my shot and watching the ball fly forward. I followed the goalie jump in the opposite direction, allowing the ball to sail into the goal. It took a second to register in my head. We had just won the world cup, for the third year in a row. History had been made, with a single kick of my foot. 

I threw my hands up, as my teammates surrounded me. Celebrating with them for a moment, I realized there was someone I had to see. Breaking away from the cheering pile of women, I raced to the bleachers where the team families were sitting. I needed to see one very specific blonde bombshell. 

I spotted her sitting in the front row. Scaling the small wall, I grabbed her around the shoulders and pressed my lips to hers, without a thought. It seemed like a moment and a year at the same time that we pulled back from each other. Completely out of breath, I smiled at her. 

“I love you so much, I couldn’t have done this without you.” I whispered to her, the cheering of the crowd louder than ever. I could see the flashes of cameras going off in my peripheral vision, but I ignored them. “Five Stars!” 

“You did it, babe.” Clarke said, smiling brightly. “I’ve got something else to tell you.” She took my hand and placed it on her stomach. “It took, love. The treatment took. We are gonna be moms.” 

“Are you serious right now?” I asked, looking between my hand and her eyes. “Moms?” 

“Confirmed this morning.” She nodded, tears leaking from her eyes. 

I pressed my lips to her stomach quickly, kissing my child. “Hey there sprout. I can’t wait to see you.” 

The press had gotten closer since I jumped the wall. And it was Gustus’s voice that broke me from the bubble that I loved so much. He pushed them away, as they screamed questions at me. I could barely hear a few over the screaming. 

_Who is she Lexa?_

_Is this your girlfriend?_

“Well, I think it’s time to let the world know about us, love.” Clarke spoke up, pressing a kiss to my forehead. 

“I guess so.” I agreed. “I’ve got to go back, medals and all that. I’ll see you at the hotel?” 

She nodded, laughing. “Only you would be this calm about winning the World cup.” 

“Yea we won the world cup, but you have given me something that means way more than some dumb trophy. I love you with everything I am and everything I have.” 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**\----- Two Weeks Later -----**

“Let’s welcome Lexa Woods, Captain of the US Women’s National Soccer Team!” Ellen said as the audience started screaming. 

I rounded the curtain and waved at the audience, before looking back at Ellen. I shook her hand as we sat, the music cutting off. I straightened my tie and fixed my jacket, knowing this would be an interesting conversation. Clarke was relaxing backstage, she would be called on to join us soon enough. Ellen had given us a run down of how this would work. 

“Lexa Woods! You had a brilliant game, your second world up, correct?” She asked. 

“Yes, my second, the team’s fifth.” I confirmed. “It was an exhilarating game, honestly. Shootouts are always nail biting.” 

“You got the winning goal as well.” 

“I did.” I smiled as the monitor behind us showed the shot itself. “Honestly it was a rush.” 

“Something else happened just after this.” Ellen probed, a now famous photo on the screen. The kiss between Clarke and I. I blushed softly at the photo. 

“Yeah.” I laughed softly. “I kissed my girl.” 

“Girlfriend?” Ellen patted my knee. 

“No, my wife.” I admitted. The crowd went wild, it took several minutes for them to calm. 

“Wife?” 

“Yes. We got married just after the last world cup win, in late 2019.” The monitor showed a photo from the wedding. I was wearing a pressed black suit, white button down shirt and a blue tie that matched Clarke’s eyes. Clarke looked incredible in her white dress. 

“Your wife, Clarke… she’s here. Shall we bring her out?” Ellen asked, looking at the crowd. They went wild once more. The curtain raised, showing Clarke, dressed in one of my jerseys and a pair of dark jeans. I stood, meeting her as she crossed the stage. I pressed a kiss to her forehead and tangled our hands together. Clarke shook Ellen’s hand and took the seat I had originally sat, forcing me a bit further down the couch. 

“Ellen!” Clarke smiled brightly. 

“Clarke!” Ellen responded in kind. “How did you land this one?” She asked, pointing at me. 

“Pretty sure I landed her, god knows she is way beyond my league.” I admitted, looking at Clarke. “She’s everything.” 

Clarke blushed softly, as Ellen laughed. 

“You’ve been married for nearly four years and kept it silent?” 

I nodded. “The only ones that knew were our family. My sister and brother stood by my side. Her best friends stood for her. Only family was there.” 

“Your team didn't even know?” 

“Aside from Anya, my sister, and Octavia Blake, Clarke’s best friend, no, teamwise. I got a lot of half angry rants on the flight home.” I laughed softly. 

“Why keep it quiet?” Ellen asked a look of confusion on her face. 

“My career as an artist had just started taking off, and I didn’t want people saying I was using Lexa’s fame to further myself.” Clarke nodded. “My career is doing well, and Lexa did so amazing at the Cup, that we didn’t even think about it. The kiss just kinda happened, I regret nothing.” 

“What about this part?” Ellen asked, as the monitor showed the photo of me kissing Clarke’s stomach. 

I looked at Clarke and she looked back. A silent conversation happened between us, before she nodded and smiled. 

“Since getting married and settled, we decided we wanted to have children. We went through the treatments and the results were up in the air when the tournament started. I found out just before the finals.” Clarke answered, shifting on her seat. “What you caught was me telling Lexa that the treatment had taken, I’m pregnant.” 

Another cheer went up through the stage once more. I pulled Clarke against me, wrapping my arms around her, my hand coming to rest on her stomach. It had become a familiar position since we found out. 

“Congratulations! Do you know what you are having yet?” Ellen said above the cheers. 

We both shook our heads. “I’m only about a month along so it’s too early for that, but once we find out, maybe we will share.” 

Ellen laughed, nodding. The producer signaled that the show would go to break. Ellen turned to the camera and spoke once more. “After the break, we will have another magical pair, Kim and Kanye!” 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**\----- Seven and a Half Months Later -----**

A simple picture appeared on the instagram of Soccer Star Lexa Woods. An infant curled up around a small soccer ball. The baby was asleep, clutching at the ball with his hand, swaddled in a blue blanket. The caption was simple. 

_‘Jacob Aden Griffin-Woods. My heart is so full of love for you, my little one. I am proud to call you my son._

_Born 3/9/2024, 6 pounds, 5 ounces, 17 inches long.’_

It was safe to say, the internet broke after that post. Lexa’s instagram was filled with congratulations and well wishes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CREDIT TO THE PHOTO - Malia B Photography, specificall the "A Boy and His Dog Newborn Session" 
> 
> I DO NOT OWN THE PHOTO, but I find it absolutely adorible.


	2. Orlando Pride Vs. Sky Blue - Trouble in the NSWL

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexa and Anya play for Orlando Pride, when not playing for the National Team. Octavia plays for Sky Blue. 
> 
> It seems a Sky Blue Rookie by the name of Ontari has it out for Lexa and no one knows why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so this was supposed to be a one-shot, but more ideas came up. You can blame TimeToLive. They started this. 
> 
> Point of View switches, be aware of that. also you need to know the following - 
> 
> Team numbers:   
> Lexa - Orlando - Number 10  
> Anya - Orlando - Number 21  
> Octavia - Sky Blue - Number 9  
> Ontari - Sky Blue - Number 30

**Clarke:**

Sky Blue versus Orlando Pride. A game my wife was not looking forward to. One of the new players for Sky Blue, Ontari Frost had been tossed out of a few games this season, and it seemed like she was gunning for Lexa. Octavia had called the night before, warning that she had overheard Ontari on the phone with someone talking about straight out attacking Lexa. 

Lexa promised to keep her distance as best as possible. She already advised the team of what was going on. Kick off was just a half hour ago and I could already see Lexa getting frustrated with the other player. Ontari was playing dirty, and the refs didn’t seem to notice. 

Octavia however, also in her Sky Blue uniform, was watching everything. I could see the concentration behind her mask. She was doing everything she could to keep Ontari under control. Anya looked like she was about to kill Ontari for all the crap she was pulling. 

Just before halftime, Ontari got close enough to Lexa to trip her up. Lexa went tumbling, but quickly got back on her feet. Alex Morgan came to her defense, getting into Ontari’s face. The refs separating the two of them quickly. Both were warned and a penalty shot was taken. 

Octavia came over to Lexa and checked on her, only to get pulled back by Ontari. Octavia pulled her arm away from the bully, muttering something to the girl that seemed to rile Ontari up further. 

The ref blew the whistle, sending the teams to the locker room for halftime break. Both teams disappeared down the tunnel, the tension palpable in the stadium. I shot a quick text to my mother to check on Little Jake. Being only a year old, he wasn’t up for coming to see Mama play in person quite yet. 

\--------------------------------

**Lexa:**

The locker room doors had just shut when they opened once more and a security guard came in and handed me a note. She didn’t say a word, only left and the entire team was looking at me. I quickly read it over, before moving to Luna’s office. 

“Luna, you have to see this.” I quickly passed her the note. 

Her eyes quickly scanned the paper, before looking up to me. “What do you want to do? You do own half the team, it’s your choice. If they quit that team, you can welcome them into the team, even if it is just to help them transition to another team.” 

“Get two jerseys ready. I won’t turn my back on family.” I answered, grabbing the phone on the table. I dialed a familiar phone number. It rang once before they answered. 

“Luna, what’s wrong?” 

“It’s Lexa. Something may happen, sooner than later, causing two of the Sky Blue players to quit. I’m holding open an offer for them. I won’t leave them hanging due to the coach and owner’s negligence.” 

“Which two? I’ll get the contracts set and down to the sideline box.” Marcus Kane answered; he was the other owner. I knew that he would follow what I wanted, as long as it was in the best interests of our team. 

“Mallory Pugh and Octavia Blake.” 

“Done. I’ll leave the salary section open for them to decide, as we don’t currently know their salary. The only open numbers we have are 31 and 32.” 

“Blake as number 31, Pugh as number 32.” I answered quickly. “We can adjust numbers to whatever is open if they want to change.” 

“Paperwork is printing now. I’ll run them down to Clarke, she’s in the player’s area right?” 

“Yeah, she's in the front row of Section 14, right next to the players bench.” I confirmed. “I have to talk to the team, here’s Luna.” 

I handed Luna the phone and turned back to the team. 

“So… it’s been a rough game, but we can get this done. We keep pressing, keep charging, keep defending. We can do this. We’ve beaten Sky Blue twice before this year. That won’t change today.” 

“What was the note Lexa.” Alex asked, looking at me seriously. 

“A couple of Sky Blue players may do something drastic… they wanted to know if there would be safe harbor here at Pride. I just spoke to Marcus, we are offering them safe harbor if they need it.” Alex looked concerned; I caught sight of Anya, Ash and Ali, they both looked at me with a single question in their eyes. I nodded, confirming their thoughts. “I won’t say who, I’m sure they will come forward on their own. But they will be welcomed on our team. We already have the paperwork set up, jerseys are being made.”

Half time was over, and we as a team filed out of the locker room. I caught Octavia’s eye. I spotted blood smeared on her upper lip and a drop on her jersey. Her nose didn’t sit straight anymore either. It had been broken, whether by accident or on purpose was unknown to me. It wasn’t noticeable for anyone else, but I knew O would never allow her jersey to be less than pristine. She caught mine, a plea in her eyes. I nodded and my eyes flicked over to Pugh as well. Another nod and we hit the field. 

I immediately went to the bench and spotted clarke. She was holding a manila folder in her hands. 

“What’s going on? Marcus just handed these to me and told me to give them to either you or Luna.” 

“O sent me a note during Halftime. She and Mal are having serious issues with their team, coach and owner. They need an out. That’s their out, if they need it during the game. If they don’t do it during the game, we can give the papers to them later tonight.” I answered, taking the folder. I looked over to O and she looked at the folder with hope. I nodded, gently tapping the folder with my fingertips, subtly showing two fingers, letting her know that it would be both of them. I handed the folder to the assistant coach, who held them close, having been told what they were. She nodded, before being tugged back to her bench by Ontari. 

\--------------------------------

**Clarke:**

The second half of the game started off slowly. I noticed something was really off with O. She wasn’t playing as well as she normally would. Mal was sluggish too. Within 5 minutes, Pride had scored, Alex putting the ball in the net without an issue. Ontari looked visibly enraged. Pride kept hold of the ball quite well for nearly half of the second half. It was at the 80 minute mark that Lexa was on a breakaway, only two Sky Blue players between her and the goal. Unfortunately, one of the sky blue players was Ontari. Lexa shot the ball toward the goal, for it to be batted away easily. She however managed to jump at it to make it a header, only for Ontari to collide with her as well. 

My heart was in my throat as I watched my wife’s body go limp and crumple to the ground. She didn’t move. Anya and Alex were to Lexa’s side in a second, but the look on Alex’s face had me scared to death. She quickly motioned for the trainers. The entire stadium went silent as trainers raced onto the field. Lexa hadn’t moved since she collapsed to the grass. The trainers motioned for the EMTs after being at Lexa’s side for only a few moments. 

Luna reached up and grabbed my hand. “Clarke, come on. Come down, you can come with her.” My feet moved, without my eyes leaving the immovable body of my wife. You could hear a feather drop; it seemed like the crowd was holding their breath. The guards let me pass and I fell into Luna’s arms, terrified. 

“Why isn’t she moving?” I whispered. 

Before Luna could answer, Anya came running over. Her mask fell as she spotted me. 

“She’s out cold. I saw the hit. It was intentional. Ontari knew what she was doing. If she doesn’t get red carded at minimum, they will have to cancel this game.” 

Once again, before Luna could respond in any way, there was a commotion at the Sky Blue bench. It was nearly impossible to tear my eyes away from Lexa being strapped down to the backboard, still limp, but I managed to do so. I watched as Mal and Octavia pulled off their jerseys and threw them at Nia Ice, the coach of Sky Blue. With the stadium near silent, nearly everyone close could hear what Octavia was screaming. 

“YOUR ATTACK DOG JUST WENT TOO FAR. That’s my sister in law, do you understand that? THAT'S MY FAMILY LAYING ON THE GROUND. I QUIT, you can finish this game without me.” Octavia turned her back on the savage woman who was turning more and more red by the moment. 

“Lexa is twice the woman you will ever be, Nia. You and Ontari went too far with this. I Quit too.” Mal shifted to Octavia’s side. The two women made their way to the Orlando bench. 

Luna offered the two her hand. “You both are welcome here.” The assistant coach quickly passed the folder from Marcus to Luna. She opened it and quickly scanned the two sets of files. 

“Blake, this is yours.” She handed Octavia a set and a pen. 

“Pugh, this is yours.” Mal quickly took the file and started signing the various flagged areas. 

Once the papers were filed, Luna handed both an Orlando Pride purple jersey, their name and new number on the back. The stadium went wild. No one had ever seen this before. 

Not bothering to take all of this in, I turned back to the field. They had my wife strapped to a backboard, arms locked in place, neck in a full brace. My heart dropped as Alex and Ali came running over, as the EMTs took Lexa off the field and down the tunnel. 

“She’s still out, they have her strapped because they have no idea what happened.” 

One of the ref came over and looked at the two new Orlando Players. 

“They aren't eligible to play for you in this game.” The ref spoke up. 

“They won’t be. They will be on the bench, what are you going to do about the fact that my star player is currently being hauled out of this stadium unconscious?” Luna asked, looking at the ref. 

“Frost has a red card, period. That’s dangerous play. I wouldn’t be surprised if the League levied penalties against her and Sky Blue. That is my recommendation anyways.” The ref nodded, before continuing. “At this point of the game, with the score the way it is and the fact that this is an extreme situation, we are going to call it here. I’ve already spoken to the other refs and several league managers. They all agreed.” 

Luna nodded, waving the whole team over as the ref moved to speak to Sky Blue. 

“Team, the League is calling the game, given what just happened. Get showered and changed. Blake, Pugh, go with security to get your things from the locker room. Once you have your things, you can use the Pride locker room to get cleaned up.” 

The stadium looked in confusion as the players gathered on the side of the pitch, before the refs took to the center of the field. 

“Due to the dangerous play of one of the Sky Blue players, this game has been suspended with the score of 1 to 0 in favor of Orlando Pride.” 

The Pride team nodded, turning to leave the field. Luna tugged me with her, as she followed. 

“It’s going to be alright. I’m sure that Lexa will be ok. She’s incredibly strong.” Luna’s voice calmed me slightly, until we hit the locker room and one of the security guys stepped up to us. 

“They took Woods directly to ORMC.” 

With that, I began to panic. There were very few things that the trainers couldn’t handle. If she was taken directly to the hospital, something was seriously wrong. Before I could honestly take anything in, I was led to a car. I looked at who was with me. Octavia sat next to me, Anya at the wheel. We made our way to ORMC. We were placed in a waiting room. 

It seemed like an hour later that a doctor came out and asked for me. 

“I’m Clarke Griffin-Woods. Lexa is my wife.” I answered quickly, Octavia and Anya at my side. 

“I am Dr. Wells Jaha. Lexa came in still unconscious. We did a few scans and everything looks ok so far. It seems like she may have a concussion.” He nodded, motioning to the chairs we had been sitting in. “She woke up about two minutes ago. I spoke to her briefly. She seems coherent and could answer all the basic questions. In fact the first question she asked was ‘Did We Win?’ I let her know that I wasn’t sure.” 

“That’s Lexa for you.” Octavia laughed softly. 

“Can I see her?” I asked, needing to see her with my own eyes. 

“Yeah, if you all want to come with me, she can handle a few visitors.” Dr. Jaha stood, and just as we were about to head to her room, the entire team poured into the waiting room. 

“How is she?” The question was directed to me. 

“We were just about to see her.” 

“I’m going to limit visitors to two to three at a time.” Dr. Jaha spoke up, looking at the purple clad crowd. 

“Family first, we all can wait.” Luna spoke up, as the group took up spots in the waiting room. 

Dr. Jaha took us over to her room. She was awake and talking to the nurse. 

“Clarke, baby, I’m sorry.” Lexa said as she spotted me. 

“Sorry?” I was confused, crossing to her and laying my head against her chest. “Sorry for what, love.” 

“For scaring you.” 

“You did nothing wrong. Frost is gonna pay for what she’s done.” I laid against her chest, hearing the steady beat of her heart. “Octavia quit… so did Mal.” 

“Quit?” 

“Oh speaking of, I need to see if Dr. Jaha will set my nose correctly. Stupid bitch broke it during halftime.” Octavia spoke up. 

“She What?” I pulled away and looked at O. 

“I told her to lay off Lexa, and play clean, she swung on me. She would have broken it worse if Mal hadn’t pulled me back at the last second.” 

“That’s why you had blood on your uniform… speaking of, I see you signed your contract, if the color of your shirt is any indication.” Lexa said, taking a deep breath. “Welcome to the team…”

I could tell she wanted to say something else. I gently prodded her side. “What else?” 

“Did we win?”

The entire room broke out in laughter. 

“Yes, you scored the only goal, love. We won.” I answered, pressing a kiss to her forehead. 

\----------------------------------------


	3. A Secret Trip To Vegas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone takes a secret trip to Vegas... and things take a weird turn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's with the Woods siblings and their need to get married without anyone knowing about it?

**Anya:**

“Look Mechanic… I love you.” I admitted, shifting on my feet. Something about the Latina drove me nuts. I had fallen for her nearly instantly after meeting her. Her brash abrasive nature fits perfectly with my sarcastic personality. 

Her eyebrows disappeared into her hairline for a moment before she schooled her features, her signature smirk slid back onto her lips. 

“Well of course you do, I am amazing.” She laughed softly, pressing a kiss to my cheek. 

“Marry me.” I whispered, nervous that perhaps we were moving too fast. We had been dating for nearly a full year, knowing each other for years before that. 

“What?” The smirk was gone, the brash tone absent. “I’m sorry. I am pretty sure you just asked me to marry you…” 

“I did.” I pulled a small box out of my pocket. “I’ve been thinking about this for ages, Rae. I don’t want to wait anymore.” I knelt in front of her, holding the box out to her. “Marry me.” 

I opened the box to show a simple hex nut turned into a ring. I had been working with the jeweler for at least a month to get it right. The nut had a ring of diamonds inlaid in the band. Her eyes flicked to the ring and then back to my face, back and forth a few times before she spoke. 

“You are serious.” She asked, her hand going to her chest. 

“Yes. I am serious. Raven Lindsey Reyes, I do not want to spend my life without you.” I was getting more and more nervous with each passing second. 

“Yes.” Was her answer, as she pulled me into a deep kiss. I wrapped my arms around her waist and held her close. We pulled back when air became a requirement. I slipped the ring on her finger and tossed the box off to the side. “I love you, Anya.” 

After spending the rest of the day and that night celebrating our engagement, we agreed to not share it with the rest of the family. Despite being together for as long as we have been, no one knew, this engagement would be out of nowhere for them. 

It took a month before we decided to just say to hell with planning and just go to Vegas. During a break between games, Raven and I flew out to Vegas and found a small chapel. We split up into the two dressing rooms. She had chosen a dress that I still hadn’t seen. I had grabbed one of my new suits that she hadn’t seen yet either. I quickly braided my hair and did the bare make up I normally had. I snapped a quick photo, knowing I would want to remember today. The chapel would record the ceremony for us. I made my way to the front, standing next to the officiant. The music started and I looked to the entrance. My breath caught in my throat as Raven stepped into the room. She was dressed in a pure white Embroidered Beach A-Line dress hugging her curves perfectly. My jaw nearly hit the floor as I had to try and push the thoughts I was having down. We could return to those thoughts later. 

I took Raven’s hand as she got close to me. Pressing a kiss to her knuckles, I saw her blush softly. The officiant did his standard speech, and by the time we got to our vows I was ready with what I was going to say. 

“Anya, go ahead.” The officiant nodded to me with a smile on his face. 

“Raven, as a child I was never one to dream about my wedding day. In fact, Lexa and I have a bet about me getting married, and I am about to lose it. Never did I envision standing here standing in front of the woman I love. It wasn’t until I met you that I had this overwhelming sense of faith that I would one day stand before you, here on our wedding day. As I stand here today, falling more and more in love with you, I never could have imagined that you would love me as deeply as you do. Today I give my soul, my love, my body wholly to you. My vows to you are simple and true, something we always agreed upon. First I vow to always respect you, in mind, body and soul. Second I vow to be your source of support and encouragement. I will love you always.” I took a breath and smiled at my love. She had tears rolling down her cheeks. Using my thumb I brush one away. 

“Raven?” The officiant looked to my breathtaking bride. 

“How do I follow that up?” She asked softly, before continuing. “Anya Grace Woods. From the moment we met, I knew that we would one day end up here. We are inevitable. Our personalities match, and we are just so good together. My childhood was not one that anyone would want to live through, but it made me who I am. A series of failed relationships later, and my best friend marries your sister. We met officially at the wedding and I felt a connection with you that I never thought I would feel to anyone. We started dating and the pieces fell into place. I love you with everything I am, everything I have, and I promise that Lexa will not find out about you losing the bet, from me.” 

The Officiant smiled at us both and motioned for us to join hands. 

“Anya, do you take Raven as your cherished Wife, and promise to stay by her side through sickness and health, joy and sorrow, so long as you both shall live?” 

“I do.” I said, my voice wavering slightly in anticipation. 

“Raven, will you take Anya as your cherished Wife, and promise to stay by her side through sickness and health, joy and sorrow, so long as you both shall live?” 

“I do.” Raven smirked, squeezing my hand softly. 

“The wedding rings perfectly symbolize the never-ending love you two have for each other. By exchanging these rings, you solidify a lifelong commitment to one another. The rings serve as a welcome and constant reminder of the bond you've formed with your partner.” The Officiant nodded to me. “Anya repeat after me.”

“I, Anya, give you, Raven…”

“I, Anya, give you, Raven…”

“this ring as a symbol of my enduring love…”

“this ring as a symbol of my enduring love...”

“Just as the circle of the ring completes itself, so you complete me.” He finished and I echoed after him. 

“Just as the circle of the ring completes itself, so you complete me.”

“Raven, please repeat after me. I, Raven, give you, Anya…”

“I, Raven, give you, Anya…”

“This ring as a symbol of my enduring love…”

“This ring as a symbol of my enduring love…”

“Just as the circle of the ring completes itself, so you complete me.”

“Just as the circle of the ring completes itself, so you complete me.”

“Anya and Raven, by the power vested in me by the state of Nevada, I am pleased to pronounce you married; sealed together today in both law and love. You may kiss the bride.” 

I pulled her to me, pressing our lips together. We had done it. We were now married. The officiant’s voice snapped us out of our blissful kiss. 

“Ladies and Gentleman, I now have the privilege of presenting, for the first time, Mrs. and Mrs. Reyes-Woods.” 

We turned to face the camera and smiled brightly. It took a few moments to sign the papers and that was it. We were married. We would need to get our drivers licences changed, but we could handle that later. Getting back in our normal clothes, we headed back to the hotel. Dropping everything off we decided to go out to dinner to satisfy one hunger we both felt. 

Two hours later, we left dinner, and were so absorbed with each other that we didn’t hear the fan the first time they spoke. It wasn’t until they spoke up again that I snapped back to the full world. 

“Are you THE Anya Woods?” The teenage girl spoke up, looking at me. 

I smiled and nodded. “I am.” 

“Can I get a photo? I never thought I would get the chance to actually meet you. I’ve been watching you and Lexa play for as long as I can remember.” The girl babbled and I laughed softly. 

“I’m happy to take a photo.” I stepped up next to the girl and held up a thumbs up. I waited for her to snap the photo, only to feel a hand slip up the back of my shirt. I jumped, shoving the girl away from me. “That’s not cool. I’m happy to take a photo, but you don’t get to cop a feel on me.” 

The girl's friend had her phone out too, and I looked at her.

“I filmed that. You just shoved her for no reason.” the friend spoke up. 

Raven looked at me for a moment before pulling her own phone. She tapped away for a moment before shoving her phone back in her pocket. 

“Anya, lets go.” She pulled my arm, tugging me away from the two girls. We made our way back to the hotel room without another incident. Turning off our phones, we spent our wedding night as all couples do. 

It wasn’t until we turned our phones back on the following afternoon that we realized something happened. Twitter and Instagram went wild with #CancelAnyaWoods. Several missed calls from both Clarke and Lexa, as well as Coach Indra had us both concerned. I started with the voicemails. 

“Anya this is Lexa, what the hell happened in Vegas? Fans are calling for you to be suspended… call me back asap.” 

“Woods, this is Indra. You call me back as soon as you get this, not a second later.” 

“Hey, it’s Clarke, are you and Raven ok? There’s some rumors going around that you got into a fight with a fan. Call us back, we are worried.” 

I turned to Raven who had been looking at the social media blow up. She looked pale and showed me a still frame from the night before. It showed me, my face obviously upset, shoving the fan away from me. The captions said that the fan had only asked for a photo and I had reacted violently. No mention of the hand slipping up the back of my shirt. 

“I thought they might do something bad, so I downloaded the full video.” Raven spoke up softly, moving to her laptop. Her background was a picture of our first kiss as a married couple. She pulled up the video and pressed play. The video started showing the two fans approach us, ask for the photo and then my reaction to her slipping her hand up my shirt. It kept going until Raven pulled me away from them. “I have an idea, but I don’t know if you will like it.” 

I arched my eyebrow at my wife, wondering what she was thinking. 

“We post the video in full, explain what happened… only thing, the video shows your ring quite nicely, and mine as well. Are you sure you want to out us in this way?” Her voice was level and I could tell that the only thing she cared about was how I would feel about this. 

“It would make this all go away, but it would bring up a whole new set of questions. Let’s call Indra and see what she thinks. Then we need to call Lexa and Clarke. They should hear this before we slam it all over the internet.” 

Raven nodded, pulling me into a kiss. “It’s going to be alright.” 

A quick call to Indra confirmed that it would be best to release the full video, regardless of the other questions it drags up. The call to Lexa and Clarke came next. It took two rings for Lexa to answer. 

“Anya… what the hell happened?” Lexa asked. 

“Nice to talk to you too Lex.” Raven spoke up, laying against my shoulder. 

“Is Clarke there? I only wanna say this part once.” I asked, pressing a kiss to Raven’s forehead. 

“Yeah, I’m here.” Clarke spoke up. 

“Good. Now both of you sit down.” I waited a moment before I looked at Raven. She grabbed my hand and smiled. “There was a reason the two of us went to Vegas.” 

“To have a vacation?” Lexa answered. 

“To get married.” I countered, as the other side of the phone went silent.

“THE BET! I WIN THE BET!” Lexa cheered, making Raven laugh. 

“Congrats you two… but when did you even start dating?” Clarke asked. 

We quickly explained that we had been dating for nearly a year and just finally said we wanted to get married. So we went to Vegas. We also explained what happened the night before with the fan. 

“So you have a video of this whole thing?” Clarke asked. 

“Yeah and we are gonna post it here in a few, but we wanted to warn you. You can see our rings in the video…” 

They voiced their understanding and wished us luck. We hung up not but a few minutes later. We took to Twitter and posted that I would be doing a livestream in a few moments. I quickly set up an Instagram Live and waited for the mass of fans to join in. Comments were rough to start out. 

“Well. Seems I have some explaining to do, don't I?” I attempted to joke. “I’m here in Vegas with someone very special to me. We were talking amongst ourselves when I was approached by a fan. She asked for a photo and I agreed. As she was about to take the photo. Her hand slipped up the back of my shirt, coming in contact with my lower and mid back. That’s when I pulled away and pushed the fan away, which is what you saw. I explained that what she did wasn’t right, and her friend spoke up, saying she recorded the whole thing. My guest, being the tech genius she is… managed to get a copy of that video. I will be posting that video in a few moments. I hope that the full context of the video will show that I merely protected myself.” 

I waited for a few moments, letting the questions pull up in chat. I grabbed hold of one specifically. 

“To answer that question grbge.cn , my guest is actually sitting across from me right now and I will let her decide if she wants to be in the spotlight at this point.” I looked over the camera and looked at Raven. She nodded and smiled, coming to my side. 

“Hello Instagram world. I’m Raven.” 

The chat began to spam ‘holy shit she’s hot.’

I glared at the camera for a moment and my mouth spoke before my brain engaged. “Excuse me, you can keep your comments about my wife, to yourselves, thank you.” As the words hit me, I looked at Raven and then back to the camera. 

The chat blew up. Mostly along the lines of “OMG THEY ARE MARRIED!” 

“Yes, chat, Anya and I are married. Please respect that, at the moment that is all you are gonna get. Once we have shared everything with those closest to us, we may or may not post actual wedding photos.” Raven picked up quickly. “Anyways, stay tuned, I will post the video and link everything here in a moment.” She disappeared from the camera view, leaving me the spotlight on the live. 

“Anyways, so I’ve explained my side, I hope that you all will continue to support me and the team.” Raven nodded and gave me a thumbs up. “The video has been posted and the link posted to my twitter. Before you judge what happened based on the single photo, please watch the video. Make a judgement after that. Thank you.” 

I ended the live and sighed. “Well that went better than I expected.” 

Before Raven could respond, her phone rang. “Shit.” 

“What?” 

“It’s Octavia.” She quickly answered the phone and put it on speaker. 

“YOU GOT MARRIED WITHOUT YOUR FAMILY THERE? WHAT THE HELL RAVEN!” 

“Well Hello to you too, Blake.” I spoke up, pulling Raven into my lap. 

“AND YOU! You didn’t bother to tell anyone.” 

“That’s not true. We told Indra and Clexa.” Raven spoke up. 

“You are a pain in the ass, Raven.” Octavia answered that. “You two have explaining to do when you get home.” 

“Sounds good. See ya later!” I quickly hung up the phone, not wanting to deal with her any further. She would calm down eventually. 

We took a flight home two days later, landing in Orlando and headed to my house. We had paid a few movers to move her stuff into the garage. We would move her things into the house as we got settled. 

Two weeks later, I posted the picture of our first kiss on Instagram. It took merely three hours to hit a half million likes. The caption made me smile each time I saw it. 

_ I never imagined my wedding, until the day I met you.  _

_ I love you more than life itself, Raven Reyes-Woods. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and yes i cried a bit writing those vows.


	4. It All Comes Crashing Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexa's away in London on a tournament... what happens when a drunk driver causes utter chaos to erupt back home in Orlando.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In Honor of my Birthday, which is tomorrow. 
> 
> Have a new chapter! 
> 
> BE WARNED - Multiple Points of View.

**Clarke:**

My parents, Jakey and I had just finished having lunch and were headed back out to the market to grab groceries. Lexa was in London for a USWNT friendly with the England team. 

Dad’s SUV started off the line, going into the intersection before another car ran the redlight and slammed into his side of the car. Their car spun twice, and ended up facing the way the other driver had come from. 

A scream escaped my lips as I slammed on my brakes, spinning my car to the side. I was able to steer out of the way and ended up facing the drivers side of the door. It was caved in, and looked like the drivers door was obliterated. 

The panic began to rise, pushing all rational thought out of my mind. 

  
  


**Jakey (Little Jake):**

Loud noises startled me out away from my thoughts as I looked around. Mommy had stopped, looking at a broken car, Pop Pop’s car. She was just looking at the car. I could only see the side of her face, and it looked like she was scared.

“Mommy?” I called out, trying to get her to look away. “Mommy?” 

Not a single response, nothing. For as long as I could remember, she had never acted like this. I did the only thing I could think of, I grabbed mommy’s phone and searched for the photo of mama. I poked it and waited. A ringing sound filled the car. 

“Hey baby.” Mama’s voice came through the speakers. 

“MAMA!” I yelled. 

  
  


**Lexa:**

“MAMA!” a small voice answered.

“Jakey? What are you doing on your mommy’s phone?” My stomach clenched. “Where’s mommy?” 

“Pop Pop’s car is all smushed up and Mommy won’t answer me.” He answered. 

It took a second before his words hit me. Big Jake’s car was ‘smushed’ and Clarke wasn’t answering Jakey. I swallowed, grabbing at Anya, who had come over to me. 

“Jakey, what do you mean mommy won’t answer?” I kept my voice as level as I could; the look on Anya’s face, as well as the rest of my teammates who weren’t far away was telling. 

“She’s just staring at pop pop’s car. I tried to get her ‘tention… a few times, but she won't look at me.” 

“Can she hear me right now?” I asked, sliding to my knees. I could feel my team’s rushing over. He answered in the positive and I took a breath. “Clarke… Baby… Are you there?” Not a single word. I could hear sirens getting louder and louder. “CLARKE. PLEASE… PLEASE ANSWER ME. CLARKE.” My own panic began to rise as I heard a voice come close to the car. 

“Hello?” The strange voice spoke up. 

“Hello? Who’s that?” 

“I’m Officer Nathan Miller, Orlando PD, responding to the accident.” 

“I’m Lexa, my wife Clarke should be driving, my son Jake is in the back seat. The car that got hit, from what my son said, should be my in-laws.” I spit out the information. “Please… I need to know. Is my wife ok?” 

“She seems to be in shock. We will have the EMTs take her and your son to the hospital with the others in the other car.” He answered. 

“Jakey, listen to me. You go with Mommy and the nice officer. I’m on my way. I love you buddy.” I took another breath and turned to Anya. “I have to go home… I don’t have a clear picture of what’s going on. But I have to be there.” 

Anya took the phone from me and spoke for a bit with Officer Miller, as I forced the panic back down and got to my feet. I made my way to the coaching staff. On the way over, several teammates gave me reassurance via pats on the shoulders or back. 

“Lexa, what’s wrong?” Indra asked as I walked up to the staff. 

“Something happened at home. I have to go. I have to go now.” I muttered, shaking slightly. 

“Slow down, what happened?” Indra moved me to the bench. “Take a breath.” 

“I got a call a few minutes ago. It was Jakey. He said there was a car accident and that Clarke wasn’t responding. From what he and the officer that eventually came to the phone, she’s in shock and Abby and Big Jake’s car is pretty messed up.” the words fell from my lips. 

“I understand. Go pack, I will find a flight and get you home.” Indra nodded, pulling me into a hug, something she was famous for avoiding. She motioned over one of the junior staff; quickly giving the orders to have me taken to my hotel and then to the airport. 

Anya ran up and handed me back my phone. “I called Raven, she’s gonna meet them at the hospital and take care of Jakey until you get there. She promised to call the moment she was there so you can get an update.” 

“Thank you.” 

Indra called the team over to brief them that I would be leaving. Most had overheard the conversation I had with my son. The team hugged me and demanded I call to let them know how everything turned out. I nodded, not speaking much. Within ten minutes I was back in the hotel and packing. Indra called and said my flight would be leaving in two hours. It took twenty minutes for us to reach the airport after the phone call. It would be a nearly 13 hour flight. I prepared to have the longest flight of my life. 

  
  


**THIRTEEN HOURS LATER - Still Lexa’s POV:**

The flight landed about ten minutes ago and Lincoln met me at the doors of the airport. He took me directly to the hospital. I was lost in my thoughts as we reached the hospital and walked in; until I heard a small voice call out. 

“Mama!” 

I spun towards the voice and sunk to my knees. Jakey’s little body crashed into mine and I felt my tears roll down my cheeks. I spotted Raven move over to Lincoln’s side. 

“Hey little man.” I pulled him tighter to me. “I’m so sorry for not being here.” It was whispered against his head. 

“Mommy is awake again!” He seemed excited about it. I stood, keeping him against my body. “What happened?” 

“Come on, we can go to Clarke’s room and explain.” 

We made our way up to the third floor and into Clarke’s room. Jakey squirmed and I let him down. He crossed over to a small cot bed that was set up for him. Clarke herself was asleep as we walked in. I pressed a kiss to her forehead, lingering there for a moment. As I pulled away and saw that she was awake. 

“Hello Love.” I whispered softly. 

“Lexa?” She woke fully, looking me over. I was still in my practice kit from the day before. 

“I must smell like a gym locker. I’m sorry.” 

“What are you doing here? The game isnt for a few more days right?” 

“Yes… but I won’t be playing.” 

She looked confused for a moment, before speaking again. “Lex you can’t just skip games!”

“I can do whatever I please, my family comes first.” I answered, shaking my head. “When Jakey called… I was terrified. I was on a plane less than three hours later. I’ve been on my way home since.” I explained, getting comfortable at the foot of her bed. There was a knock at the door and I looked to it. Clarke called for the person to enter. 

“Oh, Is this the famous Lexa that I was told about?” the man spoke up, his white coat flowing behind him. 

“This is Lexa, my wife.” 

“That's Mama!” Jakey added, crawling into my lap. 

“I’m Dr. Wells Jaha. There's a few things to discuss, I am not sure if you want this conversation to occur in front of the little man here.” Dr. Jaha looked at Lincoln and Raven. 

“We can take Jake over to the cafe to grab some snacks.” Raven spoke up, scooping the boy from my lap. I pressed a kiss to his cheek and watched as the two left without another word. 

As the door shut I moved to Clarke’s side, she scooted over to make room for me to cuddle into her side. 

“So, good news first?” He offered, we both nodded. “Congratulations, you, Clarke, are pregnant. Only about a month, but congrats.” 

I smiled, pressing a kiss to Clarke’s temple. “Another baby!” 

He let us celebrate for a moment before clearing his throat. “Good news aside, I have some bad news. Clarke, your parents injuries are substantial. Abigail has a fracture in her mid-spine, right around the T8-T9 location. As far as we can tell at the moment, there is no damage to the spinal cord, which is amazing. Once the fractures heal, she should regain full mobility. She also broke her right forearm.” He took a breath as I pulled Clarke closer to me. I could feel her shaking. My fingers ran up and down her forearm, trying to calm her slightly. 

“And Jake?” I asked, not sure I wanted this answer. 

“Due to the extent of damage to the car, and his physical condition, he’s been placed in a medically induced coma. There was some bleeding inside his skull. That’s been taken care of. The full range of his injuries is unknown until he wakes. We will keep him under for a few days at minimum to help aid in healing. At this point, while I can’t promise anything, I will say it looks like it’s gonna be ok.” 

“Can I see them?” I asked, knowing that Clarke would need confirmation that everyone was alive and, although battered, doing well. 

“Well, Clarke can be released later today, we can set up the two of you to see Abigail today, Jake however, he will require a day or so before he can have visitors.” Dr. Jaha spoke up, nodding. “I will have the nurse come in with discharge papers.” 

He said his goodbyes and left the two of us alone. 

“Clarke, baby, talk to me.” 

“I can’t lose my dad, Lex.” Her voice was soft. 

I placed a hand on her stomach, holding her close. “We aren’t going to lose him, love.” 

Her hand gently rested on top of mine. “Another baby is coming too.” 

“Everything is gonna be ok.” 

  
  


**Two months later:**

**Clarke:**

Mom had come home, her back in a brace and arm in a cast. She was dazed for several days and withdrawn since. Lexa had pulled herself from the international friendlies to be there for me. The news was wild. No one seemed to know why Lexa pulled herself from the friendlies. The staff of the team merely said that she was taking a step back and was still considered an active player on the team. No one was being brought up to replace her. 

“Clarke.” Lexa’s voice startled me from my thoughts. “They are waking Jake up today. Raven will be over to take care of Jakey.” 

I nodded, and stood, wrapping my arms around her. “I love you, Lexa. Thank you for being here.” 

“You, my love, have nothing to say thank you for. You are my family. Jakey is my son, the little one in there is my child, Jake and Abby are my parents. I will always be there for my family.” 

I smiled softly, holding her close. “Let’s go see our dad.” 

The doctors woke Jake up slowly. Once he was fully awake, he seemed to be ok. He would need to relearn a few things, but he was doing better than they expected. Taking a breath, I leaned against Lexa. 

“We should tell them what happened.” I mentioned that night in bed. 

“Tell who about what?” She asked, looking at me. 

“Tell the fans, the press, what happened with the accident; why you aren’t playing friendlies right now.” I explained. 

“Are you sure? I don’t want to bring unnecessary attention onto everyone while they are healing” 

“Ask them to let us heal in peace, but tell them that you have to be here.” 

It was decided, she would make an announcement of what happened and ask that everyone leave us to heal in peace. 

_ USWNT Soccer Star Lexa Woods Speaks Out About Absence:  _

_ Lexa Woods, Captain and striker of the US Women’s National Soccer Team made an announcement about her absences from the International and Local stage. Her full statement is below.  _

_ “To my fans, my team, and my country:  _

_ I apologize for not being available to the team. On August 10th of this year, a drunk driver collided with a car, my family was in that car. My wife Clarke, and our son Jacob, were unharmed. However, Clarke’s parents were badly injured. I flew home after getting the call, needing to be with my family at this trying time. I ask that you allow our family to heal, that questions regarding specific injuries or the situation itself, be left unasked. We will share what we agree needs to be shared.  _

_ Thank you.” _

_ Lexa Woods, the younger of the two Woods women that play, has also confirmed that she will return to the international stage within the next month or so.  _

\---------------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looking for any other ideas on that anyone can think of for this. Right now I only have one more chapter planned. So if you have any ideas, feel free to send me a message!


	5. A Wedding To Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final couple is getting married... but something's not quite right with Clarke, who is 8 months pregnant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the extra notification if you get one. I realized there were some spelling and timing mistakes. Those have been fixed 
> 
> Jakie - Jakey  
> Little Jake is nearly 4 when his little sister appears.

**Clarke:**

Today was a great day. Today I would watch Octavia finally marry the love of her life. Even after the night I had, I got myself ready, knowing Lexa would be able to get Little Jake ready. Another cramp made itself known in my lower back. Standing in nothing but a towel, having just gotten out of the shower, I bore down on it and tried to push the pain out of my mind; but I felt something running down my legs. Sighing, I got back into the shower and washed off, 

“Clarke?” Lexa called from the bedroom. 

“Yeah?” 

“I thought you were finished with your shower, love.” 

“I uh… I had an accident.” I hung my head as I spoke. “I’ll be another few minutes.” 

“OK, Jakey is all ready and I’m dressed too. Your dress is laid out on the bed, do you need help getting into it?” 

My wife was absolutely amazing. “Yeah. just gimme a bit to put on my makeup and everything.” 

Finally clean again, I got out and dried off quickly, my makeup not affected by the shower. That was a godsend. Dressing as quickly as a pregnant woman could, I headed into the bedroom to find my wife giggling at our nearly four year old. The two had a bond that goes beyond family, and it made me fall further into love with Lexa. Jakey squealed when he spotted me. 

“Mommy!” 

“Hey little man. You look great!” His little suit fit him perfectly and made him match Lexa. 

“Alright little man, we gotta help mommy get dressed, you wanna grab her shoes for her?” Lexa set the boy down and he scuttled off to the door of the hotel room. The wedding would be held in the smaller ball room, just family, friends and teammates. 

“You alright, love?” Lexa asked as soon as he was out of ear shot. 

“Just some cramps, I promise I’m fine.” She let it go and helped me into the dress. It seemed a bit looser than the last time I tried it on. “Does this look, I don’t know, baggier to you?” 

“A little bit, did they let it out more since you last tried it on?” Lexa asked, helping tie the bow in the back. 

“No, I must have lost a little weight. That’s good.”

“Got your shoes mommy!” Jakie came back in and handed the shoes to me. “Luv you!” 

“I love you too little man.” 

I finished getting dressed, slipping the shoes on and grunted through another cramp. Brushing off Lexa’s concern, I stood up straight and headed to the door. We made our way to the prep room. Lexa headed to Lincoln’s prep room, after pressing a kiss to my cheek. Little Jake went with his mama, as he would be walking with her, carrying the rings. I placed a hand on my stomach and gently pressed. 

“Just a little longer, baby girl, we gotta make it through the ceremony.” I whispered, before heading into Octavia’s prep room. “How are you doing O?” 

We talked for a few minutes as Raven helped her finish getting ready. I knew that there was a special surprise for Octavia waiting just outside the prep room. She had been told by Bellamy, her older brother, that he would not be able to make it to the wedding. He was currently serving overseas with the military. What she didn’t know was that he had gotten leave to be here at the last minute. 

Raven nodded, slyly taking out her cell phone and beginning to record. 

“Now, Octavia, you know that Bellamy can’t be here. But he sent me a video, to show you.” I pulled out my own cell and pulled up the video and pressed play. 

_“Hey baby sister. Sorry I can’t get away for your big day. I love you and I am so proud of you.”_ Bellamy spoke up, before disappearing from the video, only to open the door behind me, in full dress uniform. “Hey baby sister.” 

Octavia was shocked to silence, as she stood and raced into his arms. She finally got her words back as she pulled back. “You said you couldn’t get away.” 

“Someone called my commander and explained why I needed to be here. She seemed to agree that I needed to be here.” Bellamy looked at me and grinned. “Or it might have been the WNT tickets that Lexa promised.” 

Octavia started laughing, before turning to me. “Your wife is amazing.” 

“She’s about to be your sister in law, O. You’ll have to get used to it.” I commented before groaning softly, a sharp cramp in my lower back coming from nowhere. Everyone looked at me in concern. I shook my head. “Just a kick. Little Princess is moving a lot today.” 

They seemed satisfied as I looked at the time on my phone. The cramps were getting stronger and no matter how I stood, or sat, I didn’t seem to be able to relax. I knew I was only 36ish weeks along, so she shouldn’t be coming yet. Braxton-Hicks were a possibility, but I shook the thought away as Raven looked at me once more. 

“Sorry, baby brain. What?” 

“It’s time for O to get hitched?” 

“Excuse me? You mean it's time for the ONLY wedding the three of you have had?” Before anyone could argue, Bellamy continued. “Clarke, You literally only had Anya, Lincoln, Octavia, Raven and your parents there. I wasn’t even invited…. And Raven, you eloped.” 

Raven went to argue only to bite her words back and nod. “True.” 

“You were in Germany and couldn’t get leave. You had an invite, you just couldn’t make it.” I argued back, looking at the man. “YOU were on VIDEO CHAT!” 

Bellamy merely smirked at me and escorted Octavia out of the room. Raven grabbed my hand and helped me to my feet. If she noticed my discomfort, she didn’t say. We all met up with our counterpart, minus Lincoln who would be waiting at the altar. My dad had offered to walk Octavia down the aisle, but Lexa and I had told him that Bellamy would be here in time. He was still healing from the car accident as well. 

The ceremony was well underway when the next really big cramp hit. The justice of the peace was just about to start the vows when I doubled over in pain. My mother was by my side the moment it let up slightly. 

“Clarke?” She whispered, holding me close. 

“I think there’s something wrong…” I said softly, looking at her in fear. 

“We need to get you to the hospital.” She looked at Lexa and her eyes flicked back to me. 

“No. It’s O’s wedding.” I argued, standing back up. “Sorry. Keep going.” 

Mom grabbed my shoulders and took me back to the bench that had been set up for everyone. I sat, my arms wrapped around my belly, the pain coming in waves. 

Octavia nodded to the Justice for him to continue, quickly. The rest of the ceremony seemed to fly by, the pain getting worse and worse, the waves closer and closer together; if I didn’t know any better, I would say I’m in labor. Then it hit me, this morning my water broke. I was in labor. I paled, and leaned over to my mom. 

“I think I’m in labor, but it’s too early. She’s too early.” 

“36 weeks is early, and concerning, but if she’s anything like her moms, she’s gonna be ok.” Mom whispered back as the justice turned to face us all. 

“It is my honor to present Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln and Octavia Woods.” 

As Lincoln and Octavia made their way towards the other side of the ballroom where the reception would be, Lexa appeared at my side. She picked me up, carrying me to the car. 

“You can’t keep picking me up, you are gonna end up hurting your back.” I whispered, flinching as another wave of pain hit me. I bit back a scream. Lexa hastened her steps and gently sat me down in the suv. She crawled in next to me, Maxwell our normal driver quickly took us to Orlando Regional Medical Center. As soon as we arrived, Lexa once again scooped me into her arms and ran me inside. 

“Help! Please.” She called as we came into the ER. All eyes were on her, being famous in this city was not something to shake off. The nurses quickly jumped into action, pulling over a gurney. 

“What’s the problem?” 

“I think I’m in labor, but I’m only 36 weeks along.” I admitted, and Lexa looked at me. 

“Ok, let's get you checked out and call your doctor. It’s gonna be ok.” 

They got me set up in a room and on several monitors. 

\--------

**Lexa:**

Clarke’s words of _‘I think I’m in labor’_ rang in my head. It was too early, she still needed 4 more weeks. The hours seemed to crawl by as the doctor confirmed she was in labor, but she wasn’t ready to push. Abby and Jake showed up, saying that Anya and Raven had Little Jake for the night. Abby seemed to understand the doctor-speak that the Doctors rattled off. They seemed to be going over what could be possibly wrong with the baby when she arrives. It was honestly just sending me for a larger and larger loop. I posted a tweet in congrats to Octavia, before sending her and my brother a message in apology for missing my speech. 

Lincoln quickly sent me back a text saying we could make it up to them at a dinner once everything calmed down. 

Clarke let out a loud scream, before going really pale and fainting. The scream sent chills down my spine as I was rushed from the room with Jake. We were ushered to a waiting room as Clarke was wheeled out of her room and disappeared down the hall. Abby appeared once, just saying that it was going to be ok. She disappeared a few seconds later. Panic filled me as the minutes went on. I felt Jake pull me into his arms as time went by. 

“Lexa?” I heard my name but I couldn’t place the voice. “Lexa… come back.” 

I shook my head and looked up at the person who was speaking to me. It was Abby. 

“Hey there Lexa.” She smiled softly at me. “Welcome back.” 

“How are they? What happened?” I questioned quickly, nearly standing. 

“Slow down and listen to me.” There was something in her voice that had my heart in my throat. “Clarke is fine, She’s back in her room resting. Baby Girl Griffin-Woods however, has some issues. She’s alive, she’s doing ok, but you need to understand that she’s early.” Abby waited for me to understand. I let the words sit in my head for a moment before they actually sank in. I nodded my understanding and she continued. “Right now, she’s in the NICU. She’s strong, but really small. They are working on checking her over to see if there are any issues with her heart or lungs. Do you want to go see her?” 

I stood, my phone still in my hand. I looked at the time, it was nearly 4 AM. October 21st. I had in that moment, committed that date to memory. They took me into the prep room for the NICU and dressed me in special coverings, gloves and a mask. I felt like I was about to go do surgery. I looked at Abby in concern. She smiled and nodded, dressing the same. The nurse took me over to one of the incubators. Inside was a small pale baby girl with dark hair. The tag on her incubator was just labeled “Baby Girl Griffin-Woods.” 

“We don’t have her name listed yet, no one knew what you two wanted to name her.” Abby answered my unasked question. She had become quite good at that. 

“Abi Cassandra. Spelled A B I.” I answered, looking at Abby. She looked at me with a tear in her eye. 

“Abi Cassandra, I love it.” 

“Little Jake and Little Abi.” I smirked. Looking at my baby girl. “She will be strong like her moms… and smart like her grandma. Has Clarke seen her?” 

“Yes, and before she fell back asleep, she said to tell you, yes you may post it for everyone.” Abby laughed. I snapped a picture of my daughter and posted it to my social media, sending it also to my family and team.

_‘Abi Cassandra Griffin-Woods. You gave your mommy and I a scare, my love. It will be a bit before we can take you home, but know that our hearts are so full of love for you, princess. I am proud to call you my daughter. Born 10/21/2027, 5 pounds, 7 ounces, 14 inches long.’_

\--------------------------------------------------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It wont let me post the two cute photos, one for Abi and one for Little Jake in his suit. :(


	6. Sorry Dude, That’s My Wife

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a few days before their 10th annivarsay, Clarke goes to the Dash-Pride game alone, only to run into a man who just won't take no for an answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late delay on this story... I've been in training for my new job and this story is the only one I have that ISN'T pre-written with a few chapters. Once I get adjusted to the new hours, regular uploads will be back.

**Clarke:**

With our ten year anniversary merely days away I sat watching my wife effortlessly put away the game’s first goal, merely two minutes into the first play. My eyes barely left her figure, but I could feel someone sitting down in the seat next to me. With a quick glance I spotted a man with boyish looks and floppy light brown hair. His eyes raked over my body, which sent a shiver down my spine. I shifted away from him, my eyes going back to the pitch. 

“Hey Beautiful.” the man spoke. “Blondie?” 

I looked at him and he was looking at me. “Me?” 

“Yeah, beautiful. I’m Finn.” 

“Nice to meet you, I’m gonna go back to watching the game now.” I said, my tone should have indicated that I wanted to be left alone. 

“Don’t be like that. Come on. I’m handsome, You’re beautiful. We would make some beautiful children.” His words had me wanting to hurl. 

“I’m not interested.” 

“You don’t even know me.” 

I smiled as I saw Lexa look in my direction. Ignoring him, I spotted Alanna Kennedy, one of our defenders chilling on the bench. She caught my eye and made a face at me. I laughed, before hearing the man next to me cheer to himself. 

“I knew you would find that joke funny.” 

“What joke?” I asked, spotting Lexa with the ball once more, the score still 1 to 0. 

“You laughed at the joke…” He sounded confused.

“Yeah, at my friend who’s on the bench… I wasn’t even paying attention to you. Sorry.” I admitted, shrugging. “I typically sit closer to the players area, given who I am.” 

“A Beauty like you should have the best seats in the stadium.” He smirked. His smirk was getting on my nerves. “So… a Woods fan?” 

“You could say that. And She’s a Griffin-Woods. Seeing as there are technically three Woods currently on the field. Lexa, Anya and Octavia…. All wearing Orlando’s colors… if you hadn’t noticed.” Rolling my eyes I went back to the game. 

“Still can’t believe the hottest players are married to women…” He muttered. 

I had to stop myself from speaking at that point. He knew Lexa was married, but didn’t seem to recognize me. Honestly I was slightly insulted at the thought, especially with the idea that his tone was one of disgust. As the game continued, he seemed content to just sit next to me and occasionally try to make conversation, all of which I ignored. 

Finally halftime brought the two teams off the field. Lexa caught my eye as she and Octavia left the field, I winked and made a face. She laughed and elbowed O, who looked and laughed as well. The teams disappeared down the tunnel. Leaning back against the back of my seat had me feeling something against my shoulders. Looking behind me it was his arm. I tried to ignore it, only for him to get my attention with a question instead. 

“So does your boyfriend know you are here alone?” 

“I don’t have a boyfriend…. Not that it matters. I am a grown adult. I can come and go as I please.” I snapped. I took a breath and tried to calm myself. I pulled out my phone and texted Raven. 

Clarke:  _ I swear the guy next to me doesn’t know what personal boundaries are. _

Raven:  _ What’s he doing? _

C:  _ Flirting, after I told him I wasn’t interested, not to mention his arm is on the back of my chair like he’s trying to put his arm around my shoulders.  _

R:  _ Does he not know who you are? Who you are married to? _

C:  _ Apparently not. He did make a comment about not believing that the hottest players were married to women. I am literally WEARING my jersey! How oblivious is this dude? _

R:  _ I dunno. Looks like the players are coming back out, Are you gonna get security involved? _

C:  _ Not at the moment. He’s being annoying but that’s not illegal. Plus I don’t want to distract Lexa. We need the win if we are gonna go for the championship.  _

The players took the field again, and I once more focused on the game. Just a little bit longer and he would be gone; Lexa and I would be on our anniversary vacation. No kids, no games, no press, just her and I. Orlando won the kick off and play resumed. 

Alanna caught my eye once more and she looked concerned. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. A cheer rang through the stadium as Octavia scored. I jumped to my feet to join the celebration, only to feel a hand on my ass. I was stunned. This man, who had only just started speaking to me, put his hands on me in that way. I turned and slapped him across the face. 

“Don’t ever touch me again.” I grabbed my bag and headed to the player’s bench. I could hear his footsteps behind me. I spun on my heel and looked at him. “I think I made it pretty clear, I don’t want anything to do with you. Do I need to slap you again?” 

He held his hands up and took a step backwards. “Fine.” He went back to his seat and sat down. 

I stood at the corner of the section, close enough that if Lexa looked in my direction she would see me and not be worried; but far enough that the guy wouldn’t be all over me. The rest of the game went quickly; Orlando winning 6 to 2. I watched Lexa sign autographs before disappearing down the tunnel to the locker rooms. Setting off, I made my way over to one of the security guards and showed them my locker room passes. He motioned the directions and wished me a good evening. 

The sounds of the crowds disappeared as I ventured further towards the locker rooms. I leaned against the wall a few feet from the locker room door. I was looking at my phone when I felt someone getting close to me. Before I could react, my phone had been knocked out of my hand, and my hands pinned to my sides by someone stronger than myself. I looked up to spot the guy from before. 

“What are you doing?” I glared at him, unable to pull my hands away from his grip. 

“You wouldn’t pay attention to me earlier, figured I would get you alone and see if that helped.” He said, his voice sickly sweet. 

“You can let me go, before the players come out.” I warned. I knew that Lexa would beat the shit out of him. I didn’t want that kind of publicity out there. His hands gripped my wrists tighter, and I knew they would bruise. 

“If you would stop fighting your attraction to me…” 

“What attraction?” I argued. “Look dude… I’m MARRIED.” 

“Yeah right. You said you didn’t have a boyfriend earlier and now you are married?” He leaned closer to me, his lips puckered. 

Before he could get closer, he went flying backwards. I slid down the wall, my arms not willing to hold me up any further. The thoughts of what could have happened flash in my head as the corridor gets louder and louder around me. 

“Clarke? Clarke are you ok?” I focused on the person kneeling in front of me. “Clarkie… come on, look at me.” 

Shaking the cobwebs out of my head, I see Octavia in front of me. 

“O…. Where’s Lex…” She looks to her left and I follow her eye line. Lexa was on top of the man, her fists hammering down on the man’s face. I could see the blood flowing already. “Lexa… LEXA.” I called out, my voice shaking. “Hodness!” 

She stopped punching as my words washed over her. I looked around and spotted several camera phones pointed at my wife. Security quickly pulled Lexa to her feet and grabbed the man. 

Two more security guards came around the corner with a medic by their side. 

“Are you alright, Mrs. Griffin-Woods?” The medic asked as she knelt next to me. I nodded, rubbing my wrists. The medic gently lifted my wrists into view and I could see the bruises start to form. “Nothing feels broken, but this is going to bruise. We will need to take photos of your wrists. We can go into the locker room for privacy.” 

I nodded and got to my feet, Octavia helping me up. She was at my side as the Medic and one of the security guards took me into the locker room. I spotted Lexa speaking with the police and security. The man from the stands was restrained but being looked at by another medic. 

The medic took several photos and then let me go on my way. I slipped out of the locker room and ran right into Lexa. I wrapped my arms around her and pressed my face into her chest. 

“ _ Niron, I am so sorry. I should have come out sooner. I should have had security come with you. _ ” She whispered in my ear, holding me tightly. 

“Lexa, Security is going to walk you two out to the rental. You guys can go on with the plan.” Anya spoke up, her hand on Lexa’s shoulder. “Clarke, you ok?” 

I nodded, not trusting my voice. Lexa led me out the door and to the car. On the way to the hotel, she called mom and told her what had happened. 

\---

Three days later, the media was all over the footage that had been shot during the incident. They showed Lexa attacking the man. It looked really bad for her. The team’s publicity team had called a few hours ago wanting to put out a statement. She agreed to it, knowing that something had to be said. With me curled into her side, she took to Instagram Live. It didn’t take long before the viewers piled in. 

“Afternoon everyone.” Lexa started, as I looked at the chat. “I am sure that all of you have seen the videos going around of me attacking a man. I would like to offer my side of this, and with the full story, you can decide what you believe. Clarke came to watch the Dash-Pride game and was in her seat when that man sat down next to her. He began harassing her and making her uncomfortable. After draping his arm around her shoulder, he made comments about our marriage not realizing who Clarke was. He eventually put his hands on her in a sexaul mode.” Lexa stopped and pulled me closer. “She left her seat and watched from an empty seat elsewhere. After the game, she made her way to the locker rooms and was waiting outside when this man pinned her against the wall and was forcing himself on her. I saw him about to kiss her and I pulled him away. I attacked him at that point. I am not proud of my actions, but if put in the same situation, I would not change a thing.” Lexa shifted, looking at me. 

“My wife was protecting me, when she did what she did.” I commented, holding up my wrists, the bruises already a dark purple-blue. “He had me pinned against the wall. He was not going to stop.” 

“We will be pressing charges against this man.” 

The messages of support flowed in. Lexa spoke for a few more minutes before wrapping up the live and posting a link to the recorded video on twitter. 

The next morning, the internet was blowing up with the situation. It seems that not only our video was released, but The Dash’s security team had released the security footage. It showed the whole situation, from him sitting down next to me, to his hand on my ass. He followed me to the locker room and even showed what happened before Lexa appeared. The security team announced that the man, Finn Collins, had earned a lifelong ban from the stadium. 

Lexa sent out a tweet to the fans and the stadium in thanks, before sending another addressing the man directly. The tweet featured a picture of us on our wedding day with the caption of  _ “Sorry dude… but that’s my wife.”  _

\--------


	7. Surprises and Goodbyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Octavia and Lincoln join Bellamy for dinner. A few bombs will be dropped during dinner. Later a tragedy strikes the entire family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Work has been killing me. Sorry for the late update.

**Octavia:**

Lincoln kept straightening his tie as we waited for Bellamy to open the door to his apartment. He seemed uneasy. I held his hand tightly and squeezed his fingers, the idea that him eating dinner with my brother makes him nervous is very cute. It wasn’t long before Bellamy opened the door and pulled me into a hug. 

“O!” He whispered into my ear. “I’m glad you and Lincoln could come.” 

I pulled back, leaning against my husband. “You really think we are gonna miss free food?” 

Bellamy opened the door further and invited us in. I spotted the table in the dining room set for four. 

“Is someone joining us?” I asked, motioning at the table. 

“It’s something I have been meaning to talk to you about.” Bellamy admitted, motioning for us to take seats at the table. “I’ve been seeing someone…” 

From the kitchen came a taller woman with light brown hair, carrying a platter of veggies. She seemed guarded, almost as if she were preparing to stand up for herself if she needed to. I studied her face, looking at every detail. She was rather beautiful, her brown eyes held the glimmer of something I couldn’t quite place. I sent her a smile and looked back to my brother. 

“Just someone? Don’t have a name to go with that?” I poked at him. 

“Echo.” She spoke up, putting the platter down. “I’m Echo.” 

I offered her my hand. “I’m Octavia, this is my husband Lincoln.” 

“Oh I know who you are, as well as your sisters-in-law.” She took my hand and smiled brightly. “I have a WNT jersey from a few years back. It’s Lexa’s.” 

I laughed. “It’s always Lexa, honestly. I have one too.” I turned to Lincoln. “You can’t tell Anya that. She will never let me live it down.” He nodded, softly laughing along. 

“Dinner’s ready, so we can eat when you are ready.” 

Everyone gathered at the table and grace was said. As the food was plated, I got to know the woman in my brother’s life. Her elder brother Roan was on Bellamy’s team in the army. They were good friends and when Roan went home, Bellamy followed, not having the chance to actually come home to us. That’s how he met Echo. The two clicked immediately and got close quickly. As dinner ended, the four of us talked about everything. Bellamy and Echo seemed to be holding something back. 

As we relaxed in the living room, I spotted Bellamy gently place a hand on Echo’s stomach. He didn’t seem to notice that he did it. I looked at Lincoln and he looked back at me. I could see in his eyes that he saw what Bellamy did. 

“So big brother, not that I don’t love you, but this is the first time in a while that you’ve invited both of us over for dinner. What’s going on?” 

Bellamy looked at Echo and she smiled at him. “Two things actually.” 

“She’s pregnant, that much I got…” I spoke up, looking at them. They seemed confused as to how I knew. “Earlier, just before you both sat down, Bell, you put your hand on her stomach and smiled. I’ve never seen you smile that brightly before. It’s the only thing I could think of.” 

“We are.” He answered, taking her hand. “I asked her to marry me, O. We are gonna get married when I get back from this tour.” 

“I’m proud of you big brother!” I launched myself at him, pulling him into a tight hug. Not only was he going to be a father, he was going to be a husband too. “I better be invited to the wedding.” 

“Of course. Actually I wanted to ask you something.” Echo spoke up. “I don’t have any sisters and not many close friends, will you stand with me as my Matron of Honor?” 

“Her brother Roan is my best man, we talked to him yesterday. Lincoln I want you to stand with me as a groomsman.” Bellamy added. 

“I’d be honored.” Both Lincoln and I answered at the same time. The two of us looked at each other and laughed. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Echo:**

Bellamy’s deployment was only supposed to last another month, but I had this feeling in the pit of my stomach that he wouldn’t be there for the birth of his son. Because of the deployment he had missed every appointment I’ve had. I told him it was a boy over skype the night after I found out. It had been over a week since I last heard from Bellamy and with every day, every hour that went by, I felt the hole in my heart grow bigger. 

A knock on the door startled me from my thoughts. I rubbed my belly lightly and went to the door. Opening it, I found myself face to face with an officer and a chaplain, full dress uniforms for both. My heart dropped. 

“Echo Fjord?” The officer asked, looking at me with something in his eyes. I nodded, not trusting my voice. “May we come in?” Once again I nodded and opened the door further. The two men made their way into the living room. 

“Ms. Fjord, you are the fiancee of SSgt Bellamy Blake, is this correct?” The officer spoke up, looking at me. His eyes leveled with my stomach and frowned deeper. “Is there someone you can call to be with you right now?” 

“I can call Bellamy’s sister, Octavia, she’s been here for me for everything.” I said, not quite sure what’s going on. I had my cell phone in my hand, dialing quickly. 

_ “Echo, hey, how's it going?”  _ Octavia answered. 

“Octavia, I need you at the house. Quickly.” I tried to keep my voice even. 

_ “What’s wrong?”  _

“O, please. Grab Lincoln and get here. Now.” I hung up the phone, the men sat down. 

“We will wait for them to get back.” 

It was a painfully silent twenty minutes before Octavia came in, using her keys. She went to call out, only to stop short looking at the two soldiers. Lincoln’s eyes met mine and he gently led Octavia to the chair next to mine. 

“Octavia Blake-Woods.” The officer spoke up. 

“It’s just Woods.” 

“Mrs. Woods, you are the sister of SSgt Bellamy Blake, is this correct?” 

“Yes.” Octavia spoke up, shifting in her seat and grabbing Lincoln’s hand. 

"The Secretary of the Army has asked me to inform you that your brother and fiance Bellamy has been reported Missing In Action, in Afghanistan, since September 3rd. There was an explosion that flipped his humvee, his body was not recovered at the scene. When we receive more information, you will be promptly notified. The Secretary extends his deepest sympathy to you and your family during this trying period."

“My brother… Roan he’s in the same unit.” I spoke up, the words not really hitting me. 

“SSgt Roan Fjord was injured in the attack. He is on his way stateside within a week.” The Officer spoke up, looking at me. 

As the events of the evening flowed over me, I felt myself slip into darkness. 

It was nearly a full month later that I received another visit, this time telling me that his body had been found and he was being brought home. In the time between the first visit and the second, I moved in with Octavia and Lincoln. I couldn’t stand the thought of living alone, in the place that Bellamy had gotten for us. 

  
  


\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Octavia:**

With Bellamy’s body back stateside, it seemed like everything was in slow motion. Anya, Lexa and I had all stepped down from international duties for a while. Lexa had made a statement on all of our behalf about the situation. The fans seemed to understand and the team did as well. More than half of them had already called or visited since we found out he was dead. 

In the days before the funeral, it seemed like even surrounded by people, I felt so alone. I knew Echo and Clarke were thinking the same thing I was. Poor Echo didn't have another half to lean on. I had Lincoln, Clarke had Lexa, even Raven had Anya, but Echo was alone. 

Waiting in the living room for Lincoln to finish getting ready, I saw Echo sitting on the couch and rubbing her baby bump. I knew this would be difficult for me, but nearly impossible for her. 

“Echo.” I started, sitting on the arm of the chair next to her. “I want you to know that we are your family. As far as I am concerned, you are a Blake.” 

She looked at me with unshed tears in her eyes. She launched herself into my arms, muttering thank yous. The two of us hugged until Lincoln cleared his throat. 

The church was filled with military figures, our Pride and National Team players, and press. The press was being held off by the police, who had formed a barrier. Aside from the press a group of protestors had gathered with signs saying that his death was god's punishment. Several of my teammates grabbed my arms, to make sure I wouldn’t do anything drastic. They pulled me into the church and I sat, hand in hand with Echo and Lincoln. Clarke was on Echo’s other side, with Lexa holding onto them both. 

The funeral itself seemed to take no time at all, and we were taken to the graveyard. The media and protestors followed, the knot in my stomach growing larger. The media I could deal with, but the protestors hurt. 

My body jumped as the gun salute went off, each echoed bang increased the heartbreak in my chest. By the time Taps started, I was shaking, sobbing and angry. I could hear the protestors grow louder. The final notes of Taps echoed in the graveyard, as the soldiers began folding the flag. I knew this would be difficult. My brother’s life, traded for a flag; I knew it was more than that, but in that moment that’s all I could see. Two soldiers, each holding a flag, approached Echo and I. I had talked to the director when all the planning was taking place and I had specifically asked for Echo to get the flag, I was not expecting for them to provide two. 

In unison, the soldiers handed the flags to us both, reciting the same words. 

  
“On behalf of the President of the United States, the United States Army, and the people of a grateful nation, may I present this flag as a token of appreciation for the honorable and faithful service your loved one rendered to this nation.” 

I took hold of the flag and pressed it to my chest. My brother had died for this nation, for his fiancee, his son… and for me. We still didn’t know what the specific circumstances were, but today he would be honored as a hero. 

We were swept away from the gravesite and over to the cars when I heard them again. The protestors were louder than before. I gently handed my flag to Echo, no one noticing what I was doing. We got close to the gates where the protestors were and I felt someone grab my arm gently. I shook them off and launched myself at the lead protestor. Knocking us both down to the ground I grabbed the collars of their shirt and growled at them. 

“You think my brother’s death… him leaving his son and his fiancee… was GOD'S WILL?” My voice didn’t feel like my own, and I could hear people screaming my name. “My brother died to give you the right to be a complete fucking dumbass. It’s his blood that paid for you to have the right to protest… and you choose to protest HIM.” 

The man tried to speak, but my hand closed down on his throat.

“No, you don’t get to speak. You’ve vomited enough vile today. You and your goons go home and wonder why every single righteous and kind human hates you with every fiber of their being. If I hear you have protested another Military funeral… the next funeral will be yours.” I whispered the final words for him alone. “Am I understood?” He nodded, his eyes filled with fear. 

I felt several stronger sets of arms grab me and pull me to my feet. With Lexa and Anya on my right, Lincoln and Ashlyn on my left, and several other players ready to jump in as well. Lincoln picked me up and carried me to the car, Echo following along. Once inside the car, I spotted the police gathering up the protestors who had started yelling for my arrest. 

/// One Week Later ///

_ Pride Player Goes Nuclear _

_ Octavia Woods, Orlando Pride and US Women’s National Team Player, goes nuclear on a protestor. The protestors had camped the funeral of Wood’s brother, who died overseas with the U.S. Army. Words were exchanged but can anyone really fault the 29 year old? Reeling at the loss of her brother, surrounded by her family and team.  _

_ … _

The damage was done, a statement had been issued and the backlash had actually not been against me. Most had sympathy for what had happened and agreed. 

/// Two Months Later ///

After 27 hours of labor, I got to meet my nephew. He was a small baby, dark brown hair and eyes just like his momma. It was his name that sent the tears rolling down my face. 

“Welcome to the world, Ash Bellamy Blake.” I whispered, holding him tightly. “I’ll tell you all about your daddy.” 

\----------------------------------------------

  
  



	8. From The Ashes...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke has coffee, Lexa gets upset. Chaos Ensues...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well Hello Again! I'm back-ish. It's been a rough last month and a half. But I am getting better and stronger each day. I got this idea on the way home from work today... so enjoy. <3 
> 
> -HedaLok

**Lexa:**

Relaxing on the couch, flicking through twitter, a weird headline grabbed my attention. 

“ _ Trouble in Paradise?  _

_ Clarke Griffin-Woods seen at intimate meeting with an unknown woman.”  _

The photo was that of Clarke and a familiar face at a coffee shop just down the street from the hospital. Both were in their work scrubs. No one had seemed to connect what I had, that unknown woman was Niylah, Clarke’s ex girlfriend. Niylah’s hand rested on Clarke’s arm and the two leaned close, a bright smile on Clarke's face. I could feel my blood begin to boil, as I read through the comments on the article. Several were calling them a good looking couple, only a handful seemed upset at the idea of Clarke straying from our marriage. I knew that Clarke would never actually betray our relationship. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Clarke; it was Niylah that I didn’t trust. Raven, Octavia and Clarke herself had explained the history between the two women, as well as the fallout of their breakup. 

“Lex?” It was Clarke’s voice that pulled me from my thoughts. “You ok?”

“I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” I answered, very aware of my tone. 

She looked at me and sighed softly, her hands quickly shoving in her dark blue scrub uniform pockets. “I know you better than that, Niron. What’s bothering you?” 

I stood from the couch and faced her directly. “When were you going to tell me that Niylah is back in your life?” 

“What are you talking about, Lex?” 

I turned my phone to show the photo to her. “That’s you having coffee with Niylah. I trust you that this isn’t what they are calling it. But she devastated you once before.” 

“She got a job in the Radiology department of the hospital. She wanted to apologize, that’s all.” 

I took a breath.  _ Apologize? The psycho damn near killed you the last time she was near you.  _ Shaking my head, I shoved my phone in my pocket and stepped away from my wife. “She brings nothing but chaos with her. She probably got the job at the hospital just to be near you to try and win you back.” 

“You are acting like I am cheating on you, Lex. It was coffee, nothing more.”

“For you, that’s what it was. What was it for her? You two look really comfortable in the photo.” I snapped, my anger getting the best of me. 

I could see the hurt in her eyes before I turned away and headed for the door. “I’m going for a ride. I’ll be home when you get home from the hospital.” 

Without waiting for Clarke to answer, I headed into the garage and grabbed my leather jacket and black helmet. Sliding both on, I jumped on my Ducati SuperSport 950 and lost myself in the drive. It had to be close to an hour later that I stopped at a red light, finally calm enough to think straight. I quickly turned to head home to grab my car. The plan was to stop by Clarke’s favorite bakery and grab her favorite dessert as an apology for my reaction. 

The light turned green and I started moving, only to hear the sound of metal on metal and my body going flying. I landed hard on my right shoulder, a loud snap echoing in my ears before I felt the pain of whatever injury I just acquired. I could feel oblivion calling as my helmet bounced off the pavement twice. The pain increased one hundred fold as my body slid about 15 feet down the street. 

I blinked a few times, knowing that I shouldn’t try to stand. Suddenly there were a few people around me, one of them a nurse from Clarke’s hospital. He began to issue commands to the people surrounding me. He flicked the visor up on my helmet, careful not to mess with my neck. 

“Ma’am can you hear me?” 

“Fucking hurts…” I commented, the only words coming to my head. 

“You were in an accident.” He responded, his eyes filled with worry. “What’s your name?” 

“Lexa.” I answered. “You work with my wife…” 

It seemed to take him a moment before his eyes got wide. “Dr. Griffin is gonna kill the other driver when she finds out. I’m Greg, in case you can’t remember.” 

I tried to laugh but only managed a single  _ ha  _ before the pain became too much. I could hear the sirens of the first responders getting closer. 

“The ambulance is almost here.” Greg said, holding my head still. 

“How’s my bike?” 

“You might have to get a new one, mate. It’s pretty busted up.” He answered, not bothering to look at it. “Paramedics are here, I’ll stay right here until they have you all secured.” 

“Thanks Greg.” I answered, my vision going dark. “Imma pass out.” 

“No sleeping, you gotta stay away.” Greg said, looking at me. 

“What do we have?” The voice was familiar, but I couldn’t look at the face with Greg holding me still. 

“30s female, motorcycle rider, struck by that crumpled SUV over there. Thrown at least 10 feet in the air, hit the pavement and slid another 15 feet. Secured in the same position as she landed. No Loss of Consciousness as of yet, but she did just say she wanted to pass out. You are going to want to take her to Orlando Regional, her wife works there.” Greg rattled off as the paramedic knelt next to me. 

It was as he leaned over my face that I realized who it was. “Linc…” I saw the recognition in his eyes as the world went dark. 

  
  


**Lincoln:**

I watched as my sister blacked out. 

“Lex…. Lex wake up.” I kept repeating the words in my head, as Nyko and I quickly got her injuries situated and anchored. Her right leg had broken, the skin marred with road rash, her jeans completely shredded. Her right arm was broken, the bone sticking out of her skin. She more than likely had some kind of concussion, I could see a small smear of blood inside her facemask. 

“Nyko, set two large bore IVs, get fluids on board and get that leg splinted.” I rattled off as I set her arm with a splint as best I could. We wouldn’t be able to get a C-Collar on her until the helmet had been removed. 

Once the injuries were splinted, we strapped her down to the backboard and got her loaded into the ambulance. The nurse, Greg I learned, jumped into the back of the ambulance as Nyko started the six mile drive to the ER. The ride took 10 minutes, but Lexa had not yet regained consciousness. 

As we pulled into the ER, Clarke and two other doctors came to meet the rig. 

“What do we got Linc?” Clarke asked, looking at me, as Greg hopped out. 

“33 year old female, motorcycle vs SUV. Alert and orientated before LOC on scene. Right leg unstable, right arm open fracture with minimal blood loss.” I answered, looking at Clarke. “Clarke…” 

I saw her eyes land on the jacket and helmet, and it seemed to connect in her eyes. 

“Lexa?” I could only nod, as Clarke sank to her knees. Greg grabbed her as the two other doctors quickly took Lexa inside, Nyko quickly on their heels. 

As Clarke, Greg and I entered the chaos of the ER a minute or two later, I could hear shouting from one of the trauma rooms. 

“Lost a pulse, start CPR!” 

The steady beep from the heart monitor began to freeze my body. It was Clarke that clued me in to who that patient was. 

“LEXA!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY.................. I'M SORRYYYYYYYYYYYYY
> 
> -Lok.


End file.
